More than one king in SA – Mandela

Eastern Cape traditional leaders believe the government is creating the impression that Zulu King Goodwill Zwelithini is the only king in SA and others are of less importance.

While appreciating the KwaZulu-Natal provincial government for its support of Zwelithini with resources “befitting a king”, they say there is a disjuncture in how the treatment of royalty in SA has been portrayed.

The traditional leaders argue that national government should standardise its treatment of kings and queens and not create an ambience of inequity and bias. AbaThembu senior traditional leader and ANC MP  Mandla Mandela said while the constitution called for the preservation and promotion of cultural and linguistic diversity, including recognition of traditional leaders, “there is a perverse application of this reality, that made it seem some kings were more equal than others”.

His comments came after the department of rural development & land reform allocated R20m to the Ingonyama Trust Board, of which Zwelithini is the sole beneficiary.

“We welcome this but it must make other kings feel pretty aggrieved. We want to call on all the traditional leaders, especially kings and queens, of all our provinces to lobby their respective provincial governments to have an equitable if not equal allocation to that which the Zulu monarch receives,” Mandela said.

He called on the minister of agriculture, land reform & rural development, Thoko Didiza, to ensure provision was made for other monarchs in the same way that the Ingonyama Trust Board had been catered for.

“This will go a long way in advancing the objectives of the department and the constitutional provisions of equality and promotion of cultural diversity.”

Zulu king Goodwill Zwelithini is the sole trustee of all land that falls under the Ingonyama Trust.

Mandela is chairman of the portfolio committee on rural development & land reform, to which the Ingonyama Trust board accounts.

Mandela, said while the co-operative governance & traditional affairs (Cogta) department recognised many other kings and queens throughout the country, they did not receive the same support as Zwelithini.

“We are saying, as a committee, that if we are to use taxpayers’ money it shouldn’t be biased only to one entity, but be inclusive of all traditional leaders who are recognised as kings and queens,” he said.

Mandela said equal treatment would mean the establishment of other trusts for other traditional leaders who were regarded as kings and queens.

Eastern Cape House of Traditional Leaders and Contralesa provincial chair Nkosi Mwelo Nonkonyana, as well as National House of Traditional Leaders executive member Nkosi Xolile Ndevu and AmaXhosa King Mpendulo Sigcawu, said Zwelithini “deserves the kind of treatment” he received.

“The government should just do the same to all other kings and queens. We continue to canvass for equal and treatment of kings in South Africa, irrespective of where they rule,” said Ndevu.

Nonkonyana asked: “But why is the ANC government treating kings differently?

“KwaZulu-Natal and all other provinces except the Western Cape are ruled by the ANC, but other kings are treated inferior to King Zwelithini in KwaZulu-Natal?

“The government is creating an impression that South Africa has one king, and that has been an impression created even to outside countries.”

lulamilef@dispatch.co.za